Calif. girl: I was online to talk to pals, grieve

Published: Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 7:32 a.m. CDT

SAN DIEGO — The 16-year-old California girl who was kidnapped by a family friend and later rescued says she first went online to talk about her ordeal because that's how she and her friends communicate the most.

Authorities say Hannah Anderson was kidnapped by family friend James Lee DiMaggio after he killed her mother and brother Aug. 4 at his house east of San Diego. She was rescued days later and DiMaggio was killed in a shootout with federal agents.

After her rescue, Anderson answered questions on social media, a choice that some questioned given her ordeal and subsequent media scrutiny. But she has a straightforward answer about why she did: She says, "I'm a teenager."

She also says it helps her grieve to talk to friends.

Anderson gave her first news interview to NBC's "Today" show. It aired Thursday.